Asus HS-W1 review

Fantastic sound, shame about the headset's comfort

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Our Verdict

For

Very good sound quality

Good recording quality

Against

Not very comfortable

Lack of precise controls

Asus is well versed in giving gamers what they want when it comes to its great line of motherboards and graphics cards, such as the Asus Sabertooth X79 and the Asus EAH 6770 DC, but how does it do with its headsets? Unfortunately, in some areas the Asus HS-W1 wireless USB headset falls slightly short of our expectations.

The good news is that, on the whole, the sound quality is a very good representation across from highs to pleasantly deep lows. Bass is present and at about the right volume for music, although some more bombastic scenes when playing games lack the punch of headsets such as the Cyber Snipa Sonar 5.1 Championship.

Recording is pretty good with the small built-in microphone, with crisp and clear voices being recorded when the mic arm is rotated down. It's not entirely successful with noise cancelling, however, with some background noise picked up behind the voice. It's not enough to be too distracting, though.

When it comes to headsets that are going to be used for long gaming sessions or video chats, comfort is a big issue. With a pair of cans clamped on our lug holes for hours at a time, things can quickly become sweaty, sticky and uncomfortable. In this respect the Asus HS-W1 headphones aren't great, with a small and rather flimsy feel to them.

The ear cushions are rather flat, so while the Asus HS-W1 looks good, it's just not that comfortable to wear for long periods.

Verdict

The Asus HS-W1 wireless USB headset has very good sound quality, but it feels like Asus has forgotten to concentrate on other, arguably just as important, aspects that make a great headset.